Secondly, Alamo have removed the unpopular summer surcharge, this just leaves Budget with a summer surcharge for rental car collections between 20th June and 20th August – the pressure may result in this surcharge also being lifted, watch this space….

Thirdly, from April 1 st 2012, Alamo will be offering clients the choice between refilling themselves to return the car, or pre-paying for the fuel – this is the same option as currently offered by Budget.

Finally, Alamo have included a new location for us at 6211 N. Atlantic Avenue, Cape Canaveral, increasing the options for this popular cruise embarkation point.  With free one-way rentals from any Florida Alamo location such as Orlando International Airport, 3 drivers aged 21 – 24 with the Young Driver Package along with excellent Toll by Plate rates, this is really good news for cruise fans!

The Iconic Ford Mustang

We now have rates loaded around to next December for Alamo car hire, Budget car hire and Dollar car hire. Budget car hire rates are unchanged from 2011 – however, there is a summer surcharge on all cars collected between June 20th and August 20th. Alamo have also renewed the summer surcharge for the same dates, but just on the larger cars.
Dollar cars remain without a surcharge this summer – and with a guaranteed upgrade from the 2 door version to the 4 door model of each category!

Lovers of the Ford Mustang convertible will be delighted to see that the model is now showing as the convertible car of choice by all suppliers. Of course we can never 100% guarantee a particular make or model – but clients are going to have the best chance ever of driving one of these iconic cars with the top down this summer. Don’t forget that with both Dollar and Alamo you can choose your own car from those available in your category at all the larger locations – particularly Orlando International Airport. A great chance to try a different model for size…

If you are aged 21 – 25 you will need the Young Driver Packages from Alamo or Budget and don’t forget that Alamo’s Young Driver Package includes 3 drivers aged 21 – 24 for the same price – fantastic value!

As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call, or use the chat facility.

Elle

We continue to offer U Save at Orlando which allows 2 drivers aged 21 – 25 with no surcharge at all, but we only have this contract with U Save at Orlando, not the other U Save locations.

Budget’s Young Driver Package continues to allow 1 driver aged 21 – 24 with no change to that package.

The ever popular Minivan 7 seater (people carrier) category features many different vehicles such as the Dodge Grand Caravan, Ford Freestar, Chevrolet Uplander etc, but some of these are larger than others and some feature useful upgrades such as DVD systems. A quick look through the car can be most revealing, you can check to make sure your luggage fits, and if not, move on to a different car! The ‘Choice Product’ is only offered at locations that have a barrier gate on exit, and it is there that your choice of car is logged against your reservation.

Combined with Alamo’s ‘Save Time’ online check in facility (pre-registration), pre-bookable Sat Nav’s and the Young Driver Package for drivers under 25, this makes Alamo your first choice for car hire in Florida. Although Alamo staff are often known for their fondness of trying to pursuade you to upgrade your car – their customer service should things go wrong is quite superior, and probably worth sticking it out with a few polite “no thank you’s” at the desk! And there is no Christmas Surcharge!!

If you would like more information about how many drivers can be included on the standard package, or anything else to do with your rental, please do give us a call in the office on 01428 741438.

Drivers between the ages of 21 and 24 must book the car in their own name, and use the Diamond insurance package only. Once you have chosen your car, proceed to the next page and make sure the Young Driver box is selected with a tick. If you then press continue, the website will add up the total cost of your order for you and you can book the car.

Unlike Budget, where the lead driver must also have a credit card in their own name, Alamo is happy to accept a VISA debit card so this really expands the options we have available to clients and is great news. Alamo has many locations around Florida, particularly Central Florida and the Disney area where it has the Disney Car Care Center, amongst others. The cost is currently £62 per day, and as it is all paid up front and includes the fuel you will have nothing else to pay on arrival!

As with Budget, other drivers over 25 can be included at no extra charge making this a great option for parties with a younger driver, or families with older children requiring some freedom…

Alamo is a popular choice with many clients because of its ‘Choice Product’ where you choose the car you want from the available models in that category, a really useful feature for making sure you can fit all your luggage in.

In some ways it is easy to say that hire cars in Florida are ‘much of a muchness’, and in some respects that is true.  All cars are automatic, and have air conditioning, and are as young as the company can afford to maintain its fleet.

The actual insurance cover offered by each supplier is also basically the same, this is because the packages that we offer for sale must include everything that the British, or non-domestic traveller will need in order to drive in Florida and comply with local laws.

But the add ons, such as the number of drivers on the standard package or the fuel policy, are what differs from supplier to supplier.  The exact details of each ‘Standard Package’ can be seen by clicking on the relevant ‘Standard Package’ icon by the car of your choice but we will run through them here.

Alamo and Thrifty allow only one driver on their standard packages, so if you require 2 or more drivers you will either need to select the relevant Diamond option, or choose a different supplier.  We also have one set of prices with Dollar that feature just one driver, and these are a little cheaper than the other set of prices with Dollar which have 2 drivers!  This is why there are two sets of prices for Dollar.

If you require 2 drivers, you can therefore choose from the slightly more expensive Dollar option, Budget or U -Save which all include 2 drivers in their ‘Standard Package’.

U Save are great for young drivers, (see the previous Young Driver article) but can tend to be a bit on the expensive side otherwise, and currently we only have access to U Save at Orlando International Airport.

If you are going for 2 weeks or more, then it is often more economical to select the standard option that does not include fuel, otherwise you will be paying a weekly supplement, but will only receive that initial tank of fuel.  For rentals of 2 weeks it will probably work out at about the same, but if you are going for less than 2 weeks it is probably in your interest to choose the ‘Diamond’ package even if you don’t need additional drivers, because the initial tank of fuel will then be included.  Don’t forget that if you are paying for the fuel at the airport, you will pay a lot more than if you are able to fill up at the pump yourself.

One last thing to consider, the Thrifty rates, and the cheaper of the two Dollar rates are subject to cancellation and amendment charges, while the rates with Alamo, Budget, the more expensive Dollar rates, and U Save are not.   If you think you may need a bit of flexibility for your Florida Car Hire, it is better to steer clear of those with the charges, even if it means paying a little more in the first instance.  If you are at all concerned, please give us a call in the office to talk it through.

There are a couple of exceptions, U Save don’t charge a surcharge/excess for drivers over 21.  They will also allow drivers aged 19 and 20 to drive, but there is an excess for that of $25 per day, plus local taxes.  We currently only offer U Save at Orlando International Airport due to our own exclusive contract.

Budget car hire also have a good package for young drivers under 25.  You can book their Young Driver Package for just £50 per week.  This can only be taken on top of the Diamond insurance package, but does mean that there will be nothing else to pay on arrival – and no local taxes either!

Young drivers must have a credit card in their own name, and a full, clean licence, preferably held for over 1 year (U Save will allow less time).

If you find yourself in the ‘Young Driver’ category, and need some help to work out your best options, please give us a call to talk it through, but like all things, this is best planned ahead to give you the most choice!